Transition Towns

"Transition Initiatives, community by community, are actively and cooperatively creating happier, fairer and stronger communities, places that work for the people living in them and are far better suited to dealing with the shocks that'll accompany our economic and energy challenges and a climate in chaos." ~Transition Network

Transition towns are local communities proactively preparing for an oil-scarce future in a warming world by reducing their dependence on fossil fuels and helping mitigate climate change by re-localizing, shifting production closer to home and creating functioning communities with the idea that strong neighborhood networks will help towns to weather future energy shocks. Transition towns address the issues of peak oil, climate change and economic instability by creating a strong, connected, self-sufficient community. The Transition Movement began in the British town of Totnes in 2006 and grew to thousands of people, initiatives and projects working in Transition across the world today. Transition initiatives can range from neighborhoods to villages and from towns to cities. Learn more.

Transition the movie :) ‘In Transition’ is the first detailed film about the Transition movement filmed by those that know it best, those who are making it happen on the ground. The Transition movement is about communities around the world responding to peak oil and climate change with creativity, imagination and humour, and setting about rebuilding their local economies and communities. It is positive, solutions focused, viral and fun.

In the film you'll see stories of communities creating their own local currencies, setting up their own pubs, planting trees, growing food, celebrating localness, caring, sharing. You’ll see neighbours sharing their land with neighbours that have none, local authorities getting behind their local Transition initiatives, schoolchildren making news in 2030, and you'll get a sense of the scale of this emerging movement. It is a story of hope, and it is a call to action, and we think you will like it very much. It is also quite funny in places.

“Transition Initiatives are based on four key assumptions: 1. That life with dramatically lower energy consumption is inevitable, and that it's better to plan for it than to be taken by surprise. 2. That our settlements and communities presently lack the resilience to enable them to weather the severe energy shocks that will accompany peak oil. 3. That we have to act collectively, and we have to act now. 4. That by unleashing the collective genius of those around us to creatively and proactively design our energy descent, we can build ways of living that are more connected, more enriching and that recognize the biological limits of our planet.” ~Rob Hopkins, The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience

Transition towns are comprised of vibrant, grassroots community initiatives that build community resilience in the face of such challenges as peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis by engaging their communities in home-grown, citizen-led education, action, and multi-stakeholder planning to increase local self reliance and resilience. Learn more.

Transition towns bring groups of people together with strong foundations to work with one another successfully by creating clear structures and processes that groups use to work enjoyably and effectively, allowing people to get to know each other, work together with a common vision and create strong community bonds! Learn more.

There is a powerful focus on personal resilience. People who are drawn to transitioning care deeply about the world around them, their children, their communities and about the future of life on this planet, but are also encouraged to care deeply about themselves! People engaged with Transition are encouraged to ensure a balance of activity and rest, protect space and time for rest, find sources of nourishment that restore reserves, be aware of their early symptoms of burnout and not to shy away from seeking support sooner rather than later. Learn more.

"Transition Town Totnes (TTT) exists for the people of Totnes and District to help create thriving, healthy, caring local communities where people's ways of life take into account the needs of future generations as well as the present ones. Rising fuel prices, economic uncertainty and climate change bring many challenges. However, TTT focuses on these as opportunities to increase personal and community well being, to expand our local economy, and to find ways of living that are in line with our Earth's natural systems." ~Transition Town Totnes

Building Resilience - What Can Communities Do?

Transition towns are preparing for the realities of climate change and inevitable energy shocks. These local communities are proactively preparing for an oil-scarce future in a warming world by reducing their dependence on fossil fuels and helping mitigate climate change by re-localizing, shifting production closer to home and creating functioning, self-sufficient communities. Learn more.

Transition initiatives reflect the greatest range of voices, inclusion and diversity stemming from a commitment to values, concerns, passions and respect throughout the initiative. Inclusion and diversity are embedded at the center of Transition as a defining feature from the start. Learn more.

Transition towns are sustainable, localized and equally focused on people and the environment in order to sustain themselves, ensure longevity and be resilient in the face of climate change, fossil fuel depletion and economic instabilities. Learn more.

Transition initiatives are creating their own local currency.Many transition towns and communities across the U.S. and around the world are issuing their own paper money. These paper notes can be traded for local goods and services, which helps support jobs and businesses in the community. For instance, New York issues its currency called Ithaca Hours, Massachusetts issues BerkShares, North Carolina issues the Plenty, Wisconsin issues Madison Hours and Bristol issues the Bristol pound(see also). These local currencies are flourishing and helping to create strong neighborhood economies. Take BerkShares for example. The way BerkShares works is 100 BerkShares can be purchased for $95 at local banks offering the currency and can be exchanged at the same rate for dollar. BerkShares have the same purchasing value as dollars. In other words, BerkShares have the same value as the dollar and to earn 100 BerkShares, you need only spend $95, so you actually earn more money to spend. The only catch, at the moment, is that you can only spend it at businesses that accept BerkShares, which are mainly located in and around Transition Towns. This gives consumers incentive to keep the notes in circulation and shop locally in the neighborhood businesses that accept them. This has created a very sophisticated “buy local” program, but the potential to move to an independent currency is built in. Learn more.

Transition towns maintain respectful communication by focusing on good and active listening, valuing and cultivating qualities of compassion and promoting politeness through out the community. Learn more.

Transition towns ensure access to land can be secured in a range of imaginative ways, such as working with land owners, seeking land that is currently unused and can be used for free, raising funds to buy land into community ownership and inviting landowners to see opening up access as being both in their and the community’s interest. Learn more.

Transition towns create a community ownership of assets by steadily increasing the community ownership of assets through mechanisms such as development trusts, community bonds and shares. Bring land and property into community ownership for development, community-supported agriculture or renewable energy projects. "Communities taking charge of their own assets is a key tool for building greater social justice and empowerment." Learn more.

Transition towns promote social enterprise and entrepreneurship by understanding from an early stage the need for social entrepreneurship and designing and supporting initiatives, providing training and events, and linking with existing entrepreneurship support providers. Learn more.

Transition towns run many reskilling workshops to create a more resilient community by helping it's citizens be adept in a wide range of skills, such as food growing, repairing things, natural building and maintaining renewable energy systems. Making reskilling a core part of transitioning is done in the form of events, workshops, practical projects or courses run independently or with local educational institutions. Learn more.

Transition towns embrace local food initiatives with various local food projects, such as garden shares or community supported farms, which can involve local schools, councils, church groups or other local organizations, offering much potential for boosting new Transition initiatives. Learn more.

Transition towns value the power of the arts and creativity to change the sense of what is possible in the world by being big, bold and celebratory! This is a vital way of reaching, touching and engaging people in the initiative. Learn more.

See www.reconomyproject.org The REconomy Project is here to help build the capacity of Transition Initiatives, and other community organisations doing similar work, to grow a new kind of local economy. It’s aimed at people active in Transition, or similar.

"We live in an oil-dependent world, arriving at this level of dependency in a very short space of time by treating petroleum as if it were in infinite supply. Most of us avoid thinking about what happens when oil runs out (or becomes prohibitively expensive), but The Transition Handbook shows how the inevitable and profound changes ahead can have a positive outcome. These changes can lead to the rebirth of local communities that will grow more of their own food, generate their own power, and build their own houses using local materials. They can also encourage the development of local currencies to keep money in the local area." ~Chelsea Green Publishing

"We are living in an age of unprecedented change, with a number of crises converging. Climate change, global economic instability, overpopulation, erosion of community, declining biodiversity, and resource wars, have all stemmed from the availability of cheap, non-renewable fossil fuels. Global oil, gas and coal production is predicted to irreversibly decline in the next 10 to 20 years, and severe climate changes are already taking effect around the world. The coming shocks are likely to be catastrophic if we do not prepare. The Transition movement represents one of the most promising ways of engaging people and communities to take the far-reaching actions that are required to mitigate the effects of peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. Furthermore, these relocalization efforts are designed to result in a life that is more fulfilling, more socially connected and more equitable than the one we have today." ~ Transition United States